Case of Need
by Tallulah99
Summary: Dr. Sarah Williams is pulled back into the Underground to help the Goblin King deal with a sick baby. Short one-shot challenge response.


**Case of Need**

By: Tallulah

"Dr. Williams!"

Sarah turned around at the sound of her name. Seeing one of the nurses slip out from behind the records desk, she looped her stethoscope around her neck and moved off to the side of the busy hallway and waited for the young woman to catch up with her.

"Hey Marilyn, whatcha got?" she asked. She brushed back a strand of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail and stuck her hands in the pockets of her coat

"The appendix in 413." She handed her the patient's metal flip chart. "His temp is spiking and Dr. Ellers needs you to sign off on the surgery."

"Damn." Sarah grimaced, reading through the chart. "I was hoping we could give him some more time. I really wanted him to stabilize before we went ahead with the surgery." She pressed her lips together and thought for a moment. "It would help if we could give the antibiotics a chance to kick in…" She hesitated for a second, then sighed and flipped over to the appropriate page. She added her signature to the intern's recommendation and handed the chart back. "Thanks, Marilyn."

"Sure thing, doctor…are you heading to the on-call room? At Sarah's nod, she smiled and patted her on the arm. "Don't worry; I'll keep anyone from bugging you if I can help it." She hurried down the hall to find Dr. Ellers.

Sarah blew out a breath and continued on her way down the hall. She was exhausted and she knew it showed. She was at the tail end of an eighteen hour shift with the prospect of being on-call looming ahead. Her hair and makeup, which had been fresh and tidy when she had pulled into parking lot all those many hours ago, were a mess now. She felt grimy and uncomfortable and longed for a shower and a nap.

Pushing through the door into the on-call room, she was absurdly happy to see the ratty old twin bunk beds that the hospital provided for the rare moments when the physician on-call had time to catch up on a few minutes of sleep. She shrugged out of her lab coat and draped it over a chair.

Stopping in front of the mirror, she sighed at the reflection looking back at her. At twenty-eight she was young for an attending, but the person in the mirror just looked old and tired. Her long dark hair was limp and greasy, falling out of its rubber band and was desperately in need of a wash. Doing the best she could with what she had available, she shook out her hair and reassembled her ponytail and then washed her face in the old, cracked porcelain sink. Somehow, in all of the upgrades the hospital had been through over the years, the on-call and break rooms were consistently overlooked, leaving the staff to make do with old, musty and only occasionally functional facilities.

Feeling somewhat refreshed, Sarah kicked off her shoes and settled into one of the lower bunks with a groan of pure pleasure. It felt so good to be off of her feet for at least a little while. She half-smiled to herself at just how wonderful something so insignificant could feel. 'Well, that's what I get for living the glamorous life.' She thought wryly.

As a young teenager in high-school, she had dreamed of acting. She had wanted so much to be like her mother, performing on stage, bowing in front of the crowds of adoring fans, traveling to new and exotic places; that life had seemed so exciting and sophisticated. All of that had changed when she was sixteen. Her thoughts turned back, as they often did, to a silly, spoiled, young girl, trapped in a seemingly endless maze, going on a quest to save her little brother. She often wondered how her colleagues would react if she told them about her adventures; 'Why yes, I do keep in touch with all my friends from the Labyrinth! Why just the other day I was talking to Hoggle and telling him all about the little girl who came in with the marble stuck up her nose…' She snorted softly at the thought. Most likely they'd talk to Dr. Srinivasan about having her committed.

After her return, with Toby safely home and armed with the newfound realization that she had her own strength and could make her own way in the world, she had put aside her dreams of following in her mother's footsteps. She had taken some time to discover for herself who she truly was and what her own passions were and was somewhat surprised to realize that she had an affinity for science. She had completed high school and gone on to college and med school, much to the undisguised delight of her father and step-mother.

And she loved her job at the hospital. She truly reveled in the challenges and triumphs of practicing medicine in the fast-paced environment of County General. It meant she had little time for a personal life, no history of meaningful relationships and much less time to spend with her friends and family than she would like, but it also meant that she went to work every day with enthusiasm and came home with a sense of fulfillment. On days like today…well, days like today she just needed to get some sleep and her enthusiasm would return.

Saying a silent prayer for the appendix in 413, she slowly drifted off.

After years of med school and interning, Sarah had developed the uncanny ability to go from fast asleep to completely awake in record time. It was an almost mandatory skill to master as an attending physician in a hospital because a doctor never knew when it would be necessary to be coherent enough to make a life-or-death decision. It was disorienting therefore, to be completely awake…but perfectly certain you are still asleep.

She wasn't sure what had wakened her. She had no idea how long she had been sleeping, but suddenly she wasn't anymore…or at least she was pretty sure she wasn't. At least if she were still asleep it would go a long way in explaining how she had lain down in the on-call room on the fourth floor of County General and woken up…somewhere else.

She sat up with an exclamation, her heart pounding as adrenaline flooded her system. She knew where she was. She knew exactly where she was, but her brain was throttling itself to keep from making the connection.

'Nonononono!' Her mind insisted as she took in her unmistakable surroundings. 'This can't be….'

"Hello, Sarah."

She twisted around so fast she nearly fell off the side of the platform she was sitting on. "You," she said, numbly, and felt suddenly cold.

And it was 'him', the Goblin King, the subject of many a nightmare, and if she were honest with herself, not just a few...more pleasant dreams. He looked much as he always had in her memory, wild, whitish-blonde hair, oddly sculpted eyes, imperial bearing and extravagant wardrobe. He wore breeches of such a deep shade of blue, they made the elaborate white shirt he wore seem blinding in comparison. He stood too far back in the shadows for her to see them, but she knew that if he were to step into the light, those glittering eyes that were so intently trained on her face would be mismatched, one a deep brown, the other a fathomless blue.

Almost as if he had read her thoughts, he moved forward into the sunlight that streamed in through the castle windows, because, of course, that's where she was, back in Jareth's castle beyond the Goblin City and in the very center of the Labyrinth she had conquered so many years ago. His lips were twisted into a smirk.

"So little happiness to see me again, Sarah?" He leaned insolently against the rough stone wall and cocked his head to the side.

Feeling herself at a disadvantage from her prone position, she scrambled to her feet. She cursed herself for her nervousness, but squared her shoulders and gave him a quelling look. "What the hell am I doing here?"

Naturally unperturbed, Jareth just smiled. "My dear girl, it is good to see you again. I have so missed our witty banter. I had forgotten just how stimulating you can be."

"Dammit, Jareth!" She fumbled a little, realizing she had never addressed him by his given name before, but recovered herself. "You can't do this. You can't just kidnap someone. You have to wait for a wish! No one wished me away!" She resisted the childish urge to stomp her feet and burst into tears.

The expression on his face was almost kind…almost. Humor danced in his strange eyes, giving him away. "Are you so certain, child, that no-one would care to wish you away?"

Ignoring the obvious dig, Sarah snapped back, "I am not a child anymore, Jareth."

He allowed his gaze to travel leisurely over her body. "No. No, you are not. I can quite see that."

Despite the fact that she was dirty and exhausted and dressed in shapeless scrubs which showed nothing, she felt herself flush. She hated that he could do that to her, but she wasn't sixteen years old anymore and she would not be bullied.

"Send me back. Do it now." She stepped towards him so that only a few feet separated them and was reminded vividly of her first trip into the Labyrinth, how she had faced him down and made him back away. This time however, he held firm. This would not, she realized, be a replay of their last encounter. "I'm serious, Jareth. You took me away from the hospital. If they need me and can't find me, someone could die." Seeing that this tack didn't have any effect, _and why should it_, she thought to herself, _heartless bastard_, she tried another. "There are rules…"

He reached out and stroked her cheek gently with a gloved hand. She tried not to flinch, but she knew he could see the tension in her eyes and that it amused him. Damn the man! He leaned towards her so their faces were only inches apart, his palm still cupping her cheek. She could feel the warmth of his breath on her face as he spoke.

"They are my rules, Sarah," he said quietly. "I made them and I will change them as I see fit. You are here because I want you here." He leaned back and tilted his head up arrogantly. "You would be wise to simply go ahead and wrap your head around the idea."

She stood there for a moment stunned. The nerve of him! Finally, her motor functions began to return. "Fine," she said.

He raised a slanted eyebrow, obviously skeptical of her acceptance.

"No, no, that's fine." She turned away from him and tried to remember which door she had entered the throne room through on her previous trip. "You've got me. Nothing I can do about that. I don't get to go home until you let me. Peachy. But I will be damned if I am going to stay with you. I still have friends here you know." With that she chose a doorway and made towards it.

"I have need of your expertise."

She stopped so suddenly she nearly fell over. Turning back to him, she asked, "You have need of what?"

His elegant gesture took in her practical attire. "You are a physician, are you not?"

"I am." Sarah gave him a dubious look. He didn't look sick. An image insinuated itself into her mind's eye of Jareth sitting shirtless on an exam table as she held her stethoscope to his chest. She refused to question why he would be shirtless in her imagination since that wasn't exactly hospital protocol.

"Exactly. And I am in need of the services of a physician."

"What, no royal doctor on call?" He gave her a dark look and she gave up. "Okay, fine. What's wrong with you?"

"Me? Nothing at all is wrong with _me_." He seemed affronted at the insinuation.

Sarah was losing her fear and getting just plain exasperated. Could the man not get to the point? "Well, I'm sorry, but I missed the week we talked about goblin physiology. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to go see Hoggle." She turned again to leave.

"The babe is ailing." He didn't even raise his voice, but the words hit her like a slap.

"What?" She pivoted back to face him, shocked. "A babe? A baby? What baby?"

He would not meet her eyes. He cast his gaze somewhere to her right. His face was inscrutable as ever, his tone completely even, but he would not meet her eyes, and that was telling.

"Someone's running the Labyrinth," she said flatly. It wasn't a question. She knew she was right. The cold feeling returned to the pit of her stomach.

"Yes." His reply was soft. She searched his face for some hint of emotion and found none.

"And the baby is sick."

"Yes."

"And you want me to help it."

"Yes."

She took a deep breath and tried to put her feelings into some sense of order. She felt so many things right now she just wasn't sure where to start. Certainly, if there were a sick baby, it needed to be helped, but there were sick people at her hospital too and they deserved her help as well.

"Please."

The statement was made so quietly, she wasn't sure she had heard him right. "What did you say?"

He brought his mismatched gaze up and met her own steadily. "I. Said. Please." He enunciated each word carefully and then turned his head slightly to the side, waiting to hear how she would respond.

And suddenly it was easy. Her confusion melted away at his simple plea. She had no doubt that for one so proud as the Goblin King, simply asking for her help had been painful. The 'please' had likely been excruciating.

"Take me to it."

She had to scurry to keep up with him as he strode through the echoing stone halls of his castle. He didn't once turn to look at her and brusquely shook off any attempt she made at questioning him as the made their way into another wing. After several minutes and more than enough turns to have her thoroughly confused, Sarah began to hear the distant, heart-rending sound of a crying baby, not just an unhappy or angry sound, but the desolate, tired wailing of a sick child.

She sucked in a breath and pushed past Jareth into a chamber that had been set up as a makeshift nursery. The baby squirmed fretfully in a large woven basket that sat on the floor, its basin lined in quilts and pillows. Several frazzled looking goblins hurried around the room, scattering diapers and blankets in their wake, as they took turns trying to sooth the inconsolable child.

Sarah leaned over the make shift crib and pulled the screaming baby into her arms. A quick diaper check told her it was a girl and assured her that the goblins were taking at least relatively good care of her since the cotton was dry. She appeared to be about five months old and had a head full of riotous red curls. Her little face was nearly as red as her hair and scrunched up in obvious discomfort as she wailed fitfully. Sarah ran her hand up inside the little girl's pajamas and rested it over her stomach.

She cast her eyes up at Jareth, where he stood just outside the room. "She's burning up."

She undressed the tiny girl completely and laid her back in the crib. Wishing fervently for her stethoscope, she looked around until she found a piece of parchment, which she rolled into a tube and placed against the writhing infant's chest.

She caught Jareth's puzzled look and explained, "Her breathing doesn't sound good." She gestured at the makeshift stethoscope. "This helps me to listen to her lungs."

This explanation appeared to satisfy the Goblin King. He entered the room, the screaming seeming not to faze him, and sat in a chair across from her as she completed her examination. The child was breathing too quickly and laboriously, the little nostrils flaring on every breath, and the retractions in the chest muscles were much deeper than they would have been in a healthy child.

When she was done, Sarah redressed the child and hoisted her onto her shoulder, instinctively rubbing her back.

"She has pneumonia with a high fever and there's fluid in her lungs. She needs to go to the hospital."

"Is there anything you can do for her here?" Jareth asked.

"She needs to go to a hospital," Sara reiterated angrily.

"She cannot go." Was that remorse in his gaze?

Sarah was furious. "Why not? Why not, Jareth?" she demanded. "Are you so bound and determined to keep her that you would let her die rather than give her up?"

He was on her in less than a blink, his eyes fierce. "I am no monster Sarah!"

He backed her into the wall until she was trapped in the circle of his arms, the baby a barrier between them.

"I do not keep her here for my own reasons. Her mother wished her away and I took her. That is what I do. That is my purpose and there are rules…rules that even I cannot break. She cannot leave until her mother completes the Labyrinth or her time runs out." A gloved finger pointed at the clock on the far wall, though his eyes never left her face. There were nine hours remaining. "Do you understand?"

He was so close, they were nearly touching. Sarah turned her head to the side, away from his gaze. "Yes."

"Good. Now, do what you can for her. Do not…do not let her die." With that, he whirled on his boot heel and left the room.

Sarah shook her head and looked down at the pitiful child. She needed to do something to bring down the fever and help her to breathe better. She took a deep breath of her own, knowing that pneumonia in a child this young was dangerous in her own world where antibiotics and breathing aids were available. How was she ever going to help this baby with only her two hands?

A rustling noise at the doorway caught her attention. Sarah looked up to see a motley crew of five goblins jostling and elbowing each other just outside the room.

"What do you want?" she demanded, feeling short tempered and snappish.

The goblins all looked at each other as if not sure how to answer. Finally one of them ventured forward and gave a short bow. "His majesty has requested that we help you fix the child."

She was treated to a chorus of 'yes siree', 'uh-huh', 'Yep, that's what he said', 'we gonna help', and couldn't help but smile. "Well, thank you then. Can one of you get her a bottle?"

A short, squatty goblin with a prominent nose and crossed eyes stepped forward, saluted and then scurried out of the room, presumably in search of a clean bottle.

She surveyed the rest of the group. "Any chance of getting some ice?" she asked, with little hope.

"Oh, sure, sure," a dainty goblin said, sounding as if it might have been female. "Goblin King keeps ices in the cellarses. Come on Scootch! We go bring ices!"

The two of them barreled out of the room, leaving Sarah with two other helpers who she quickly dispatched after other items.

The baby's wails had diminished somewhat, though she still fretted and squirmed in Sarah's arms and her breathing, if anything, was even more labored. Sarah snuggled the baby and cooed in her ear, trying to calm her.

"I wish I knew what your name was, pumpkin," Sarah whispered.

"Emily. Her name is Emily."

Sarah's head snapped up to see Jareth lounging just outside the door once again. She looked back down at the fussy baby.

"Well, hello, Emily." She glanced back up. "Thanks for…."

The doorway was empty again.

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" she exclaimed.

The first goblin returned a few moments later with a couple of ancient looking, but serviceable bottles and a small bucket of milk. Not trusting the sanitary habits of the goblins or their King, Sarah stoked up the fire and got a kettle of water boiling before adding the pieces of the bottle to the water for sterilizing. In a smaller kettle she added the milk and got it boiling too.

"I know this is going to take longer, Emily, but I don't want you getting any sicker than you are already."

When the goblins returned carrying buckets of ice, Sarah filled the sterilized bottles with the boiled milk and sat them in a bucket of ice to cool. She then filled a small tub, brought in by one of her other volunteers with enough ice to cover the bottom and then lay the baby in it, well swaddled against direct contact with the cold. As expected, this took the wailing back up a notch.

"I'm sorry, Em," Sarah soothed. "I know it's awful, but we've got to get that nasty temperature down."

She plunged her own hands in a bucket of ice water and then ran them up and down the babies body until they were both a soggy mess and her hands were red and numb.

When she thought the bottles might have cooled sufficiently, she tested one on her arm and then settled the baby back in her lap to try and eat. She managed to suck for several minutes before the effort coupled with her shallow breathing proved to be too much for her and she turned away.

"I've got to do something about her breathing," Sarah decided out loud. "You two," she stopped the pair of goblins on their way down to the cellars for more ice, "bring me a big piece of cloth, something heavy like you would use for a tent."

When the goblins returned with an actual tent, and their master in tow, Sarah set about having her impromptu 'nurses' assemble it in the middle of the room.

"Do you mind if I inquire as to what exactly it is you are doing?" Jareth asked. "You are indoors after all; I hardly think you need to worry about it raining…" He trailed off and looked at the watery mess that covered most of the room. "But then, I see you have staged a recreation of some of the nicer parts of the swamp, so why not."

"If you must know," Sarah replied testily, "I am setting up a steam room. Emily can't breathe well enough. The steam should help loosen up her lungs up so she can get more oxygen.

She explained to the goblins what they needed to be doing as she stripped out of her scrubs and down to the camisole and shorts she regularly wore under them, studiously avoiding the gaze of the Goblin King as she did so. She knew it would be nearly intolerable in the tent once the steam got going and she wasn't above compromising her modesty to keep from passing out with heat exhaustion. Jareth's eyes never left her as she folded her soggy things and twisted her hair up into a bun to keep it off of her shoulders.

"Okay, I think we're all set. Keep the kettles coming and we'll try the bottle again in a couple of minutes." She steeled herself and looked up at Jareth. "Feel free to pitch in at any time, your majesty or alternatively, feel free to get the hell out."

Not waiting on a response from him, she knelt and crawled into the tent, accepting Emily from one of the goblins as she got settled, letting the flap swing shut behind them. It was already sweltering inside and she felt the sweat bead on her brow almost immediately. Good for Emily, bad for her. She made a mental note to ask the goblins tending the boiling water to set some aside to cool for her to drink. Wouldn't do at all to pass out from dehydration.

A few seconds later the flap lifted again, and Sarah was shocked beyond all capability of speech when the goblin entering the tent turned out to be no goblin at all. Jareth had apparently magic-ed himself into a change of clothes, because the flamboyant blue suit was gone and in its place were plain tan breeches and a light-weight shirt. He said nothing, but quirked a brow at her and settled a few feet away, facing her from the other side of the tent.

It took a few moments for her to realize that her jaw was hanging open. She snapped it shut with an audible click. He smiled at her. "You suggested that I could help," he said mildly. "What can I do?"

She stumbled over her words, at a loss to explain to herself this shift in behavior from the arrogant Goblin King, but eventually managed to put together a string of words that made sense and explained to him how to keep the baby close to the steam and bathe her in the ice water occasionally to help fight off the fever that was ravaging her tiny body.

She had no idea how long they worked together in silence there in the tent, their movements becoming coordinated as they perfected a system of handling the child. Sarah was tired and knew that she was slowly reaching her limit. She had done twenty-four hour shifts before, but never anything so taxing as this.

She dozed for a moment, but started awake to see Jareth watching her over the top of Emily's head, where he cradled the child to his breast. Her first thought was how amazing it was that he was so good with children, until she realized; well, of course he was. The King of the Goblins would have had plenty of experience over the ages of holding and coddling small children while their panicked families desperately tried to get them back.

"They don't all try to get them back, you know."

She hated it when he did that. "Really?" She wasn't sure if she sounded skeptical or interested.

He nodded. The steam had taken its toll on even him and his fine blond hair was limp and pasted to his neck and face. "Many times, the request is made in anger or frustration and the person making the wish…didn't mean it."

He looked up at her with his familiar sardonic smile and Sarah gave in to her childish instincts and stuck her tongue out at him.

He chuckled. "But, there are times when a child is wished away and no one attempts to complete the Labyrinth for them. No one cares enough to fight for them. Those children are mine by rights."

"What about the ones who do face the Labyrinth and fail?" Sarah challenged. "Are they yours by right too?"

Jareth gave her a puzzled look. "Have you not yet figured it out, Sarah?"

She leaned back, wary. "Figured what out?"

"All who run the Labyrinth and do everything in their power to retrieve their child do so. Those who choose to take the easy road and not attempt it or give up halfway through, those are the children I keep. They do not deserve to be returned to a life where their value is taken so lightly."

He stopped and stared down at the baby in his lap. Her breathing had slowly evened out and the ice water baths appeared to be taking her temperature down slowly. She was dozing lightly and he continued softy.

"Your Toby was never in any real danger, Sarah. You would have stopped at nothing to get him back, and so you would have gotten him back no matter what I threw at you."

Sarah was dumbfounded. "So…you never would have turned him into a goblin?"

"Do not be mistaken. The goblins that you see around you were brought here as human children." He met her eyes across the dim confines of the tent. "I am not a monster, but neither am I kind. I do what must be done. Toby was never in any danger of becoming a goblin simply because you were never in any danger of giving him up…many do."

"What about this one?" Sarah asked, nodding at the sleeping baby. "Will her mother give up?"

"I think not," Jareth replied softly, he brushed his fingers across the tiny hand. Sarah noticed the little finger of his hand, trapped in the solid grip of Emily's fist. "She is young, but she will fight for her baby."

"I suppose this means I should stop being angry with you," Sarah said, drowsily. She knew she should sit up and get a bottle ready for Emily. "You only did what I asked, right? And Toby wasn't in any danger after all…"

"Feel free to hate me if you wish. That is your choice."

Jareth's tone was lofty, but Sarah had a suspicion that it was more habit than anything else. She smiled to herself at the prospect of a tender-hearted Goblin King and then fell into a light sleep, with dreams of dancing at a ball long ago.

Some time later, Sarah awoke with a start. She was still in the tent, but was now lying down with her head pillowed…on Jareth's knee? She sat up quickly and scooted to the far side of the tent, where she glared at him.

He had a pleasant smile on his face for a change, but he wasn't looking at her. His gaze was on the little girl in his lap. Even in the dimness, Sarah could see that Emily's eyes were open and she was gazing right back.

"How is she?" she asked finally, keeping her voice low.

Jareth looked up at her and quirked an almost, almost boyish grin at her. "We are getting along famously. She woke up so I had the goblins fix a bottle for her."

He held up the empty container, milky residue the only evidence left to suggest it had ever been full. "She was hungry."

"I imagine so," Sarah laughed and crawled back across the space between them to check the baby's temperature. "Still elevated, but much better."

She sat back on her heels, worn out, wet, filthy and happy as can be. She looked down at the bundle in Jareth's arms. "Well, Emily, you do like to give a person a scare, don't you?"

"Yes, well, she would have made an excellent goblin in that respect."

Sarah rolled her eyes at him and then froze. "Would have?"

Jareth pulled the flap on the tent back and nodded at the clock on the far wall. The little hand pointed straight up at the numeral thirteen and the big hand was only a few clicks away.

Sarah blew out a breath. "She's going to make it then?"

"Oh, yes," Jareth replied. "Not to the castle, surely. She is in the hedge maze now, but she will not give up and that is all that matters."

He offered the baby to her and she accepted the warm weight, trying to ignore the tingle in her fingertips as Jareth's hand brushed her own in the exchange.

She followed Jareth as he exited the tent, not at all surprised to see that by the time she stood upright, he was already redressed in his more formal attire. Not even his hair looked disheveled. She thought briefly of what a fright she must look and then decided she didn't care. Looking down at Emily, she realized that the baby had been magicked right back into her own clothes and on further inspection, so had Sarah. She put one tentative hand up to her hair and found that it was clean and dry.

Jareth saw the incredulous look on her face and smirked. "I thought it more timely than a bath."

"Umm…thanks."

He gave her a regal bow of the head. He was back in 'kingly' mode, she could tell. She tried not to roll her eyes.

A fat goblin ambled into view of the doorway and bowed so low his helmet hit the floor with a discordant clunk. "Highness, the girl is being brought to the throne room"

"Come," Jareth commanded and swept down the hall.

Sarah sighed and went after him, tucking Emily into a more comfortable position on her hip.

She hung back as she entered the throne room. Jareth was lounging in his throne with one leg flung over the side, looking as though he had never once in his life sat in a steam room and fed a bottle to a sick baby.

The door opened on the far side of the chamber and a terrified looking young woman was brought into the room by two of the castle guards. Sarah's heart went out to her. She was young, probably only a few years older than Sarah herself had been when she solved the Labyrinth. The woman was dirty, her clothes torn and mussed and she appeared to be missing a shoe. Tears stained her cheeks and she was on her knees begging before the doors closed behind her.

"Please! Oh, sir please! I tried, I did. I really tried. Oh, please don't take my baby away from me. I love her!"

Her broken sobs were heart rending and it was all Sarah could do not to go to her, but she knew Jareth would not appreciate the interference so she stood where she was and waited.

"You tried and you failed." Jareth's voice was flat. "Why should I take pity on you?"

It took a moment before the woman's tearing cries let up enough for her to speak again. "Please sir…your majesty. I didn't mean to wish her away. She's been ill and fussy and I was frustrated…but I didn't mean it! Please! Please let me have her…or…or take me instead!"

From Sarah's vantage point she could see Jareth on his throne. The devastated woman had reached the steps to the dais and prostrated herself on the stone in front of him.

"I'll stay. I'll do whatever you want. Just please let her go home. Please don't turn my Emily into a goblin!

Jareth looked dispassionately down on the woman for a moment and then looked up and caught Sarah's eye. He nodded to her and she stepped forward with the baby on her hip.

"Elizabeth," Jareth said.

The woman was curled into a ball with her hands fisted beside her, shaking. She shook her head from side to side.

"Elizabeth, stand up." Jareth's tone brooked no disobedience.

The woman stood shakily and slowly brought her gaze up to rest on Sarah where she stood behind the throne with the baby in her arms. Elizabeth's mouth formed a silent 'o' and then she was up the stairs and cradling the baby in her arms and crying all over again.

Jareth stood next to Sarah and she found herself leaning into him as they watched the mother and baby reunited. Jareth reached out and brushed a farewell across the baby's tousled curls.

"Take her to the hospital," he said to the mother and with a wave of his hand, they were gone.

"You sent them home?" Sarah asked. She suddenly felt drained.

"I did." He turned to face her. "Would you like me to do the same for you?" His eyes were intent on her face.

"I have to go back," she said softly. I'm needed there."

She looked up at the clock; nine hours had elapsed since she had first woken up in the Goblin King's castle. "They'll be worried about me."

Without a word, Jareth turned towards the large, ornate clock and with a gesture, the hands began to spin backwards until the time settled at just after four o'clock, the time she had arrived.

"You will not be missed," he said with his old smirk, "because you will not have been gone."

They stood a few feet apart, facing each other silently.

"I have to go back," She repeated.

"Who are you most trying to convince, Sarah," he asked. "Me or yourself?"

"Me…you…both I guess. I do have to go back, but maybe I could…come again sometime?" She gave a short laugh. "Maybe I should brush up on my goblin physiology…who knows, could be useful."

"Could be."

He took a step and she waited for him to come to her. He stopped only a whisper away and brought his hand up between them with his fingers curled together. When he loosened them, a slim chain with a small silver charm dropped free. Sarah recognized it immediately. It was a smaller version of the same ornament he wore around his own neck. He dropped it over her head so that the charm settled just above her breasts. He tugged off his glove and touched the charm where it lay against her skin. His hand was surprisingly warm.

"For when you decide to come back…to visit. You need only…wish it."

She reached up and covered his hand with her own. "I will be back."

"I know," he said.

Sarah opened her mouth to retort, but then realized she was no longer standing in the throne room of the castle beyond the Goblin City. She was back in the familiar shabbiness of the County General on-call room. She hadn't even seen him move.

"Damn that man!" she said aloud, thinking of many choice things that she would have to say to him if she saw him again. She reached up and touched the small pendant that hung around her neck and a slow smile spread across her face. When. When she saw him again.

"Um…I'm sorry, Dr. Williams?"

Sarah turned to see a bewildered orderly, his head stuck through the doorway of the on-call room.

"Oh, hey Jesse," she said. "Don't mind me, I'm just venting."

"Uh, Okay." Jesse looked dubious. "Dr. Fitzhugh wants you down in radiology. He tried paging you, but I think the batteries died in the on-call pager again."

"Thanks, Jess. I'm on my way."

Jesse withdrew. Sarah retrieved her coat from the back of the chair and slipped it over her scrubs. She pulled the door open and hesitated for a second at the threshold.

"See you soon Jareth," she whispered and went back to her work.

A/N: This was written as a response to the 'Sarah's Career Choice' challenge in the Labyfic LiveJournal community literally YEARS ago. I'd been meaning to upload it for ages, but it needed a bit of work and I'm awfully lazy:)


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